The invention pertains generally to the field of computing devices and, more particularly, to port replicators used with computing devices.
When a user travels with his or her portable computing unit, he or she often requires the use of a peripheral device such as a printer, scanner, or other computing unit such as a personal digital assistant. Thus, users often travel with a port replicator, which enables connection to a peer or peripheral device without requiring the user to bring the entire portable computing unit docking station. However, although port replicators are typically less bulky than conventional computer docking stations, they are far from being optimized for travel and portability.
Additionally, when a port replicator is used, the device may attach to a rear connector of the notebook or portable computing unit. Thus, because of the ability of the computing unit and the port replicator to move relative to each other, the connection between the portable or notebook computing unit and the port replicator may be, at best, only marginally stable. This lack of a stable connection between the two devices can cause interruptions in the connection between the computing unit and the equipment to which the computing device is connected.
Thus, what is needed is a mobile and portable port replicator that provides a stable connection between the portable computing unit and any attached device.